What Goes on in Medjugorje Events
Nothing apparently unusual happens in Medjugorje. Everything is identical to other pilgrimage sites. The Holy Mass is celebrated (a), the pilgrims approach the sacrament of penance (b), the Rosary is prayed (c), the Via Crucis (d) and the sick are prayed for (e). However, the way of celebrating is diverse. The atmosphere significantly influences the mood of the pilgrims. It is not the external appearance that counts, but the spirituality that characterizes it.
a) The evening Holy Eucharist
Is the center of the daily activities of all pilgrims when they are in Medjugorje. It is preceded by the common prayer of the joyful and sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary, and then, of the glorious ones. The Mass is celebrated according to the liturgical calendar and the Roman Missal. The Gospels are read in the languages of the groups participating in the celebration. The homily is usually an update of the day’s Gospel, in the Croatian language, followed by a synthesis in some other language. A part of the Eucharistic prayer is recited in Latin. Frequently the verses are also sung in Latin. Holy Communion is given according to the desire of each of the pilgrims, in the mouth or in the hand.
Immediately after the Holy Mass, the Creed, seven Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glories are prayed kneeling. Afterwards, the blessing of religious articles, prayer for the sick and the glorious mysteries of the Rosary continue. Along with the evening collective Eucharist, various groups celebrate the Holy Mass with songs and homily in the language of their country.
From year to year, individual, collective and group adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar has been increasingly developed. Collective adoration is celebrated every Thursday after the Holy Evening Mass and on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in summer), as an individual form of meditation. There is also a small chapel for adoration where pilgrims pray before the Blessed Sacrament which is also exposed for Adoration from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. in summer) every day.
b) The sacrament of Holy Confession
Has made Medjugorje famous throughout the world. People come to Medjugorje from all over to reconcile with themselves, with God and with men in the sacrament of reconciliation. In this place it is possible to find a large number of confessors willing to give advice, listen to people’s needs and reveal to them the treasures of God’s mercy. Many, rightly, define Medjugorje as “the confessional of the world.” The same atmosphere of Medjugorje helps many to experience individual conversion in the sacramental encounter and a real change in life as believers. All of this is facilitated by collective preparation for confession, in the form of a penitential liturgy or otherwise, but above all through open conversation with the confessor.
c) Praying the Holy Rosary
It is one of the most beloved prayers for Medjugorje pilgrims. In the collective evening prayer program the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries are recited with a brief introduction to each mystery, if possible, in several languages. The prayer is interrupted several times to sing simple hymns to the Virgin. The Rosary, as an expression of the pilgrim’s devotion, is prayed collectively on the Mount of Apparitions every Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. in summer). In addition, groups of pilgrims pray the Rosary walking from station to station and the same does the people who come individually. At any time of the year, day and night, it is possible to find groups of pilgrims around the church, in various places or on the mountains, running the Rosary beads between their fingers and praying it out loud or silently.
d) The Via Crucis
Also belongs to the prayer repertoire of the Medjugorje pilgrims. Pilgrims travel through the rugged Mount Krizevac while praying the Way of the Cross, stopping before the reliefs placed at each station. Those who cannot climb the Krizevac have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the mystery of the suffering of Jesus in the Church, in front of the carving works, the work of the famous artist Peppino Sacchi, meditating on the suffering of Jesus, the pilgrim joins Him and he unites his own suffering and the sufferings of all those with whom he is connected in life, as well as those who constitute a cross for him or which are caused by himself and fall upon others. As a form of collective devotion for pilgrims, the Via Crucis takes place in Krizevac every Friday at 2:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. in summer) and on Fridays and Sundays of Lent in the parish church.
e) The prayer for the sick in Medjugorje
Is part of the evening prayer program and is inserted in the gratitude for the Eucharistic celebration. Its official definition is “Prayer for the healing of body and soul.” Man, and the pilgrim in particular, seeks health in the true sense of the word, or that which is understood by the Latin term “salus”, which includes both physical health and the salvation of the spirit.
